Where is it easiest to open: Child Care Services
51 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 11-9031” (soc) for Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare. A blank gate means NO RECORD MATCHED, which is not the same as no licence.
| State | Operators | Avg staff | Pay / employee | Gate | Licence titles matched |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 9,664 | 9.2 | $37,321 | not matched | — |
| NY | 6,698 | 12.6 | $34,559 | not matched | — |
| TX | 6,159 | 14.7 | $25,964 | exam | CHILD-CARE and CHILD-PLACING AGENCY AD |
| FL | 4,643 | 13.9 | $28,774 | not matched | — |
| PA | 3,818 | 12.2 | $28,534 | not matched | — |
| IL | 3,108 | 13.5 | $33,363 | not matched | — |
| OH | 2,791 | 13.5 | $25,991 | not matched | — |
| NC | 2,592 | 13.7 | $27,673 | licence | Child Care Center (One Stars); Child Care Centers (Two-Five Stars) |
| NJ | 2,466 | 16.9 | $30,386 | not matched | — |
| GA | 2,383 | 16.7 | $26,117 | not matched | — |
| WA | 2,381 | 9.6 | $35,229 | licence | Administrative staff |
| MA | 2,309 | 14.1 | $36,239 | licence | CHILD CARE: LARGE AND SMALL GROUP AND ; CHILD CARE LICENSE: FAMILY LARGE AND S |
| MI | 2,073 | 11.7 | $26,864 | licence | Family/Group Child Care Home |
| VA | 1,942 | 14.2 | $28,517 | not matched | — |
| WI | 1,570 | 12.0 | $28,639 | not matched | — |
| OR | 1,514 | 8.8 | $33,983 | not matched | — |
| MD | 1,505 | 13.3 | $31,792 | not matched | — |
| MN | 1,446 | 13.9 | $30,061 | licence | Family Child Care and Group Family Chi |
| MO | 1,422 | 13.0 | $27,905 | not matched | — |
| IN | 1,398 | 11.3 | $26,305 | not matched | — |
| CO | 1,207 | 13.6 | $34,207 | exam | In-Home Child Care Provider; Non-Home Child Care Provider |
| TN | 1,207 | 13.7 | $24,955 | not matched | — |
| SC | 1,033 | 13.1 | $27,076 | not matched | — |
| OK | 1,019 | 11.8 | $25,286 | not matched | — |
| LA | 1,016 | 12.9 | $23,094 | not matched | — |
| AL | 970 | 12.4 | $25,855 | exam | Alabama Professional Leadership Certif |
| AZ | 963 | 14.3 | $31,144 | not matched | — |
| CT | 948 | 17.4 | $31,214 | not matched | — |
| KY | 871 | 13.6 | $23,662 | not matched | — |
| IA | 864 | 14.7 | $21,304 | not matched | — |
| MS | 783 | 12.2 | $22,807 | not matched | — |
| UT | 738 | 10.4 | $24,607 | licence | CHILD CARE PROVIDER |
| AR | 702 | 16.2 | $26,014 | licence | Child Care Provider |
| NE | 692 | 13.4 | $23,487 | licence | Child Care Provider |
| ME | 674 | 7.8 | $30,350 | not matched | — |
| KS | 539 | 14.7 | $24,299 | not matched | — |
| ID | 487 | 9.6 | $24,354 | licence | Child Care |
| MT | 462 | 7.0 | $24,825 | licence | Child Care Providers |
| NH | 447 | 12.2 | $29,388 | licence | Child Care Program Center Director |
| NM | 437 | 14.6 | $32,017 | not matched | — |
| NV | 395 | 15.0 | $29,410 | not matched | — |
| WV | 385 | 12.5 | $23,767 | not matched | — |
| ND | 349 | 10.7 | $23,577 | licence | Early Childhood Services (Childcare Ce; Early Childhood Services (Family Dayca |
| DE | 349 | 14.1 | $28,193 | not matched | — |
| DC | 303 | 14.1 | $41,669 | not matched | — |
| RI | 279 | 14.5 | $29,806 | not matched | — |
| VT | 271 | 10.3 | $32,077 | exam | Educator |
| HI | 267 | 10.8 | $33,696 | not matched | — |
| WY | 241 | 9.0 | $24,658 | exam | CHILD CARE PROVIDER/DIRECTOR |
| SD | 241 | 15.7 | $22,593 | not matched | — |
| AK | 159 | 11.5 | $33,072 | licence | Child Care Provider (Center); Child Care Provider (Child Care Group |
Axes are shown side by side and deliberately NOT collapsed into a ranking. A composite would be a score with no measured interval, and an unmeasured score is the thing this product exists to argue against. A high licence gate is a cost to enter and a moat once cleared — which of those matters more is the operator's call, not ours.
Licence data courtesy of CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. Free to read, no account, always — a condition of the data licence as well as our own position.